Shelby American Inc. has long been known to turn out fire-breathing autos with powerful turbo-charged engines, but with its diminutive new “pocket rocket,” the car company has changed things up a bit. At the 2013 Detroit Auto show, Shelby American unveiled a souped-up version of a Ford Focus. The company took the four-cylinder compact car with front-wheel drive and wrenched in a new turbo-charged Ford EcoBoost engine the cranks out more than 300 horsepower. Named the Shelby Focus ST, the hot hatchback was designed at Shelby American's skunkworks division in Las Vegas and tested extensively at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Ford Motor Co. is recalling almost 24,000 Focus Electric and C-Max cars because they don't make a chime when the driver's door is open and the key is still in the car. This is one of those odd federal regulations meant to keep drivers from leaving new generation electronic keys - called fobs and smart keys - behind when they exit the car. Federal regulators worry that cars will get stolen if drivers leave their electronic keys behind ...

An American automaker has the top-selling car in the world -- the Ford Focus. Research firm R.L. Polk & Co. said Ford Motor Co. sold 1,020,410 Focus models worldwide last year. About a quarter of the sales were in the U.S. The Focus beat out the second-best seller -- Toyota's Corolla with sales of 872,774 -- by a wide margin. Including the F-series truck and Fiesta compact car, Ford had three of the 10 top-selling vehicles internationally, the firm reported. “Ford has been among the leaders in Europe for a long time and the Focus and the Fiesta have traditionally done well there,” said Tom Libby, an analyst at Polk.

A man who was struck by a hit-and-run driver as a valet opened the door of his Ford Focus early Sunday morning has died, officials said. The 22-year-old Van Nuys resident was pronounced dead at 5:46 p.m. Sunday, according to Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office. His identity had not been released Monday pending notification of family. Police are still looking for the driver of a newer model silver Hyundai sedan who was heading westbound on Ventura Boulevard west of Kester Avenue in Sherman Oaks before crashing into the open driver's door of the parked Focus.

The "cash for clunkers" program is set to get its tank refilled with another $2 billion today after Senate Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement allowing a vote on extra money to keep the immensely popular rebate program going through Labor Day. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other supporters of the program said there was enough support to approve the funding, which the House passed last week.

Ford Motor Co.'s Focus car is under investigation by U.S. regulators for engine stalls and loss of power, the second problem in three months for the No. 2 auto maker's compact car. The investigation may result in the recall of 574,700 vehicles. The National Highway Traf- fic Safety Administration's monthly report also said it is looking at complaints that steering can lock up without warning on 1997 and 1998 model General Motors Corp. cars and minivans, possibly causing drivers to lose control.

When executives at American Honda Motor Co. in Torrance look in the corporate rearview mirror these days, they're likely to spot a Ford -- closing fast. Honda's wildly popular Civic is being pressed in the U.S. sales race by Ford Motor Co.'s new entry-level Focus, whose European roots and fresh design are combining to capture buyers' cash and critics' raves. Executives at the U.S. arm of Honda Motor Co.

April 27, 2013 | By Carlos Lozano, This post has been corrected. See note below.

One person was killed and three were injured when their vehicles collided on Sepulveda Boulevard in Westwood, authorities said. The accident occurred about 6 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Sepulveda and Montana Avenue, Los Angeles police said. The driver of a 2010 Ford Focus southbound on Sepulveda made a U-turn and was struck by a 2007 Chervrolet Suburban, police said. A woman in the Ford Focus was killed and two other passengers injured; the driver of the other vehicle was also injured, police said.

A boy was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Imperial Highway about 1 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. The crash occurred near Crenshaw Boulevard. The driver did not stop and continued west, witnesses told police. The victim, described only as a "male juvenile," was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police were looking for the car, which witnesses described as a red or dark red compact sedan with tinted windows, perhaps a Ford Focus. It is believed to have extensive front-end damage. Anyone with information is urged to call the traffic division at (310)

Ford and Toyota -- two of the biggest automakers in the world -- are in an ego contest over which car sells the most globally, the Focus or the Corolla. Earlier this week Ford Motor Co. trumpeted how its Focus compact car is the bestselling vehicle in the world. Toyota says it's not true. Toyota Motor Corp. says it sold 1,160,764 Corolla nameplate vehicles globally in 2012, including sedans, wagon and liftbacks. Photos: Top 10 cars with lowest cost per mpg That's more than the 1,020,410 Focus models sold worldwide last year.

Two pedestrians killed in hit-and-run crashes along Ventura Boulevard late Saturday night and early Sunday morning have been identified. Michael Spencer Bonanomi, 35, of Santa Monica was hit as he crossed Ventura Boulevard east of Fairway Avenue in Studio City late Saturday night, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office. He died at the scene. Police are still searching for the driver of the car, believed to be a white Mercedes CLS with black paper license plates with “Encino” in yellow writing.

A 22-year-old Van Nuys man died Sunday, hours after being struck by a vehicle as he was getting into his car in Sherman Oaks. A valet parking attendant on Ventura Boulevard near Kester Avenue had just opened the door of the victim's Ford Focus when a silver Hyundai heading west hit the man, said Officer Greg Andrachick of the LAPD's Valley Traffic Division. The Hyundai then hit a car parked in front of the Focus and sped away, Andrachick said. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died Sunday evening.

The problem for Mazda as it readies the launch of its latest generation Mazda3 is the message, not the car. A drive through the twisty roads of the Angeles National Forest earlier this week proved that the Hiroshima, Japan, automaker has produced yet another in a series of great small cars. But consumers still haven't gotten that message. Despite best-in-class handling and competitive pricing, these cars just don't sell well. Year-to-date, Mazda has moved about 53,000 of the 2013 model, less than a third of the sales of compact car rivals such as the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

In a bid to fight the inroads rivals have made in the compact car business, Toyota Motor Corp. on Thursday revealed a new sleeker and more aggressively styled 2014 Corolla compact sedan at a news conference in Santa Monica. The car, which competes with the Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Cruze, has the same 132-horsepower engine of the current model, but has other improvements. Besides making the typically boring car more stylish, Toyota has made it larger, with a longer wheelbase and more interior space.

April 27, 2013 | By Carlos Lozano, This post has been corrected. See note below.

One person was killed and three were injured when their vehicles collided on Sepulveda Boulevard in Westwood, authorities said. The accident occurred about 6 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Sepulveda and Montana Avenue, Los Angeles police said. The driver of a 2010 Ford Focus southbound on Sepulveda made a U-turn and was struck by a 2007 Chervrolet Suburban, police said. A woman in the Ford Focus was killed and two other passengers injured; the driver of the other vehicle was also injured, police said.

Ford and Toyota -- two of the biggest automakers in the world -- are in an ego contest over which car sells the most globally, the Focus or the Corolla. Earlier this week Ford Motor Co. trumpeted how its Focus compact car is the bestselling vehicle in the world. Toyota says it's not true. Toyota Motor Corp. says it sold 1,160,764 Corolla nameplate vehicles globally in 2012, including sedans, wagon and liftbacks. Photos: Top 10 cars with lowest cost per mpg That's more than the 1,020,410 Focus models sold worldwide last year.

A woman speeding through Los Angeles and Gardena crashed into two other cars late Friday night, killing one person and injuring several others. A Nissan Maxima driven by Glenda Jamerson, 37, struck a Ford Focus at Rosecrans Avenue in Gardena shortly before 11 p.m., according to Gardena police. Jamerson's car then hit an SUV that had entered the intersection, flipping it onto its side, police said. The driver of the Focus, Kierra Kevon Bolton, 20, of Los Angeles was pronounced dead at the scene, and Jamerson was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, police said.

Ford Motor Co., the world's No. 2 auto maker, will open a $150-million factory here next week in an effort to cut car prices that are inflated by import duties. The factory will make 8,000 Ford Focus vehicles this year, with production rising to about 10,000 cars in 2003, said Oksana Khartonuk, a spokeswoman for Ford in Russia.

An American automaker has the top-selling car in the world -- the Ford Focus. Research firm R.L. Polk & Co. said Ford Motor Co. sold 1,020,410 Focus models worldwide last year. About a quarter of the sales were in the U.S. The Focus beat out the second-best seller -- Toyota's Corolla with sales of 872,774 -- by a wide margin. Including the F-series truck and Fiesta compact car, Ford had three of the 10 top-selling vehicles internationally, the firm reported. “Ford has been among the leaders in Europe for a long time and the Focus and the Fiesta have traditionally done well there,” said Tom Libby, an analyst at Polk.

After eight years of watching Europe have all the fun with small, fast cars, we're finally getting our piece of the hot-hatch action from Ford. Consider the 2013 Focus ST the spiritual successor to the SVT Focus, the sleeper Ford made from 2002 to 2004. The ST targets well-established pocket rockets including the MazdaSpeed3, Volkswagen GTI and Subaru WRX. The Ford carries plenty of firepower to the fight: 252 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, directed through a six-speed manual transmission to the front wheels.